Rafael is a boy name with a modern feel, drawn from real birth records. Below you'll find what Rafael means and where it comes from, plus how many babies have been named Rafael across the United States, UK, Ireland and New Zealand, how popular Rafael has been over the decades, and the year it peaked.
Rafael is a boy name of Hebrew origin meaning “God has healed”. the name of an archangel.
| Country | Births on record |
|---|---|
| United States since 1880 | 89,947 births |
| England & Wales since 1996 | 4,206 births |
| Scotland since 1974 | 107 births |
| Northern Ireland since 1997 | 27 births |
| Ireland since 1964 | 204 births |
Counts come from official national birth-registration statistics: U.S. Social Security Administration, England & Wales (Office for National Statistics), Scotland (National Records of Scotland), Northern Ireland (NISRA), Ireland (Central Statistics Office) and New Zealand (Dept. of Internal Affairs). Coverage spans differ, so totals aren't directly comparable across countries.
Babies named Rafael per year, United States (1880 to 2025). United States peaked in 2006 (1,710/yr) · England & Wales peaked in 2022 (279/yr) · Ireland peaked in 2012 (14/yr) · Scotland peaked in 2022 (13/yr) · Northern Ireland peaked in 2022 (8/yr).
Rafael has been a fairly common baby name in the United States. It was most common in 2006, when it ranked #422 nationally (given to 1,809 babies that year).
Raphael · Raffaela · Rapheal · Raffaele · Rafeal · Rafaela · Rafaella · Revel
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